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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081339">Little Talks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daeneryssed/pseuds/daeneryssed'>daeneryssed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Critical Role Spoilers, Drabbles, Episode 118 spoilers, F/M, Mafia AU, Mutual Pining, You Have Been Warned, this is probably gonna be my drabble dump fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:55:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081339</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daeneryssed/pseuds/daeneryssed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I will be posting my WJ drabbles here.</p><p>Chapter 3: Episode 118 spoilers, be warned!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Parents are heads of rivaling mob families</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt: Parents are heads of rivaling mob families AU</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jester’s heart hammered wildly in her chest as she dove at the last second into the darkened alcove, just barely missing the gaze of the roaming kitchen staff. She heard the shufle of feet and the ripping of cardboard covers as they retrieved something from the backroom storage. Jester pressed herself as far back into the alcove wall as was physically possible, as if her body could blend into the stone wall if only she pushed hard enough. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Fuck, this is heavy,” she heard one of the men speak. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We can drag it,” replied the other. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A heavy thud sounded and the shuffle of feet began again, as the two staff started dragging whatever it was along. Thankfully, they chose another hallway than the one she was on. Jester didn’t want to know what exactly they had retrieved from the room: she honestly would not be surprised it was a body. Her stomach churned.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She waited an agonising minute to make sure the men didn’t return - it was only a matter of time before Bluud noticed she was no longer on the dancefloor and sent out a search party. Once she was reasonably assured that the hallways were empty once more, Jester slipped out of the alcove and dashed for the back entrance.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Twenty more feet, fifteen, ten...five...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She reached out...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>--please please don’t be locked--</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>...and yanked it open. The cold night air hit her, the smooth stone floor changed to textured gravel, the door swung shut behind her, and she was out.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Free. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jester sucked in a deep breath of air. Oh, it felt good to be out of that suffocating building and in the open air. <em>Without </em>five sets of eyes watching her. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Only one. One set of startling blue eyes, which her own violet ones met as she turned to walk out of the alleyway. There, leaning against the wall, was a young man. A bit older than her, much taller than her, and reddish-brown hair tied back in a ponytail. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hi,” she said breathlessly, heart beating wildly in her chest once more, but for a much different reason than before.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hello,” replied the man, Zemnian accent apparent even in that one more. “Ready, Jester Lavorre?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes, Caleb Widogast.” Jester giggled. She was going to get into <em>so. much. trouble </em>if her parents found out about this. If <em>his </em>parents found out about this. She didn’t care. So what if their families were rival mobsters? Bren - no, <em>Caleb</em>, as he was when they snuck out - was nice, sweet, and (not to be superficial) handsome. “Where are we going tonight?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Anywhere you want,” he replied. He held out his hand and she took it without question. His hands were always so warm. “The world is yours, Blueberry.” </p>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Waltzing Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jester didn't expect him to dance with her. Really, she didn't.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><b>Spoilers for episode 109.</b> You guys have been warned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>She didn’t expect him to dance with her. Really, she didn’t. </p><p>So they danced like, ONE time. All the way back in Hupperdook. It wasn’t anything special, really, and he was drunk too, so. He told her later he didn’t forget anything but that didn’t mean he thought it was <em> special </em> or anything. She didn’t think that either, even if that had been the first time a boy had danced with her and he had tipped her earlier and he had been, well, it had been, kind of, sort of, maybe, romantic. </p><p>That was silly, anyway, because friends could dance together and, again, he had been drunk and it didn’t have to have a special meaning for <em> them. </em>It could be a one-off thing. </p><p>So really, she didn’t expect him to dance with her again. </p><p>And it was fine that he nudged her towards Fjord. Fjord, who gave her a unicorn, which was really cute and nice and very very sweet, and really, it was all she had wanted for so long right? And she still wanted it. Sort of. It was fine too, that when he came back around for a switch he reached for- for Fjord. Not her. That was fine. There was nothing weird that he would go for another boy and not her and it was fun to dance with Beau and tease her about Yasha and gush over the unicorn-</p><p>(<em>amber hamster unicorns doing flips in the air and squeaking like little mice and the glow of the magic lighting up his face</em>) </p><p>It was fine. She was fine. </p><p>He didn’t need to dance with her. He <em> didn’t</em>. He had many things on his mind and it had only been one dance and- </p><p>(<em>why didn’t he dance with me? </em>)</p><p>It was <em> fine</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had to bang out a drabble because the feels are strong in here tonight.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. It's what I deserve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <b>Ep 118 spoilers. </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>You have been warned.</b>
</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>“YOU GUYS KISSED?!”</p>
<p>Veth’s shrill voice rang loud and clear throughout the salon. Caleb’s heart dropped in his chest, his thoughts slowing, sluggish, heavy, in the fleeting moment before he raised his eyes from his book, where he didn’t <em>know </em>– doesn’t <em>want </em>to know – who’s she’s speaking to and– and maybe he could never look up, he could never look up and maybe he would <em>never know– </em>and then, and then- </p>
<p>“Veth! Be quiet!” </p>
<p>–and then the illusion shattered. </p>
<p>Jester had pressed a hand to Veth’s mouth while Fjord hovered over her shoulder, eyes panicked. They froze under the stares of the rest of the Nein. </p>
<p>The group exploded. </p>
<p>Caleb could hardly make out any of the questions being thrown at the duo – “When?!” “Why didn’t you tell me?!” “Did you two have <em>sex </em>??” “Beau!” – all of the words melding into one another in his mind, his mind which seemed to have ground to a halt. Vaguely, he registered that his book had dropped onto his lap. He registered that he felt nauseous, very nauseous. He registered Yasha’s eyes on him. </p>
<p>Then he registered Jester’s. </p>
<p>She was looking at him, her expression unreadable, eyes wide like she was, like she was–</p>
<p>Waiting? </p>
<p>(<em>He was waiting for her to go to her room, so he could find her and tell her that he could turn back the clock for her. That he would do anything for her, if it made her happy. Waiting for everyone to turn in, and then she did, and then </em>– <em>and then Fjord followed her up and maybe that’s when, maybe </em>–)</p>
<p>He smiled at her. He smiled because he was happy for her. Happy that the man she loved loved her back. She deserved it. She deserved to be loved. She deserved–</p>
<p>(<em>He nudged her towards Fjord. Pain. It was painful. It was so painful but he needed to do it. Because she wanted to dance with him and it was no good. No good at all. She deserved a man who was good and kind and brave. She deserved to have a romance from her fairytales. She deserved</em>–<em>)</em></p>
<p>More. </p>
<p>More than he could ever provide. </p>
<p>Caleb was standing up. He didn’t know when he had risen to his feet. The book might have fallen onto the floor– oh, no, he had placed it on the sofa beside him. That was good. It was good. Books should be treated carefully. Not thrown to the floor without a care–</p>
<p>(<em>Not like he had done with his heart.</em>)</p>
<p>Jester’s attention was off him now, being bombarded by the others. She was laughing, giggling, cheeks turning a deeper shade of blue at her friends’ teasing. Amidst it all, she looked back at him, catching his eyes again. His smile faltered--</p>
<p>(<em>and hers did too</em>)</p>
<p>–and he brought it back up again. </p>
<p>Because she deserved it. She deserved it all. </p>
<p>He deserved this too. </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was a word vomit from me to try and process my sadness.</p>
<p>The chapter title is directed at me: I chose this ship when it was one-sided and wholly unconfirmed. I deserve this pain.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If there's anything you want me to write, drop me a comment. I will try to take a stab at it. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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